I’m not really sure where to begin or what to say. It all feels a bit like I’ll be one of those cases where the doctor will call and say, “oops, my bad. you’re ok after all. we got your test results mixed up with someone else.”

But that is probably unlikely. So with that in mind, I now just want to tell my story. And surprisingly, it has been an amazing story so far. Even through the tears, there’s been a lot of laughter, super abundant love, loads of miracles from God, and all of this good stuff has kept the scary stuff off to the side. And I’m thankful for that!

Together we’ll make it a happy adventure, so thanks in advance for going along with me on this.

{The Photo} The above photo is dedicated to my super precious sister; it’s a bit of an inside joke and I can hear her laughing so hard when she sees it for the first time. This photo was taken in 1987 during a family trip on the Skunk Train with our parents; I was in that horrible state of being a constantly annoyed teenager who was too cool for my family (notice I wouldn’t even smile at the camera) and my sister was doing her best to continually pester me. Oh, can we just say hallelujah those days are long behind us! I love you Amanda!

p.s. I’m always happy to help and enjoy hearing from readers so please drop me an email if you’d like. meg(at)mclouse(dot)com

At about 6:20am this morning, as I was driving to the Alameda Flea Market with my friend Sondra, I realized that today marked my4 year cancer free anniversary! Not too shabby, huh?! It’s definitely a milestone that I will gladly accept and I’m immensely grateful for. It’s crazy how life just keeps on plugging along and memories of IVs, shots, being bald, surgeries, etc are so far behind me. Let’s keep it that way.

Well hello there! Did you miss me?! I’ve missed you especially since it’s been nearly a year since I last posted, which frankly is a good thing. My health is healthy and my spirit is happy so I haven’t had much to report. Today is not bad news, just an update…

Mike and I have spread out hours of conversations over the last couple of years about the option of me having biological children. It was always our plan for me to get pregnant right about now; as Eric our youngest finishes up his last year of highschool. But after a hormone-fueled cancer, chemo, radiation, Tamoxifen and 40 year old eggs which I can only imagine are a little haggard by now, we decided a little Megan or Mike would not be a wise choice.

So this week Mike took the big leap and got snipped. A vasectomy. There’s relief that our birth control just got increased by 1,000% but there’s also some sadness… I guess that settles that.

Waiting for Mike

p.s. I’d also like to add that adoption has also been at the top of our family planning since day 1 of our marriage, so that option is still a happy choice. We shall see.

One of the greatest means of saying thank you is to do so publicly, so I’m very excited to share with you my recently published piece in Angels on Earth, a Guideposts Publication.

I originally wrote multiple pages, but as the publishing world goes, most of the content was cut and the rest was completely rewritten by a NYC editor. With all of that said, I’m still thrilled to have it published and it was even more fun when I met with Vicki last week to surprise her with a few copies.

Just over a year ago my photographer friend Douglas Thompson and I embarked on a wild photo shoot, documenting my time as a bald woman, conveying all of the emotions that went along with that time; desolate, barren, cold. It was always our intention to “bookend” those photos with another set of photos on the flip side; healed, vitality, victorious! I’m happy to share with you the part 2 of the images, that were recently completed.

There seem to be alot of “anniversaries” when someone has had cancer; anniversary for diagnosis, cure, last treatment, etc. and today marks yet another anniversary for me:

Exactly one year ago today (at 1:30pm) I had my final chemo infusion.

Of course it’s a happy anniversary but it still feels strange to me; strange that I was actually diagnosed, treated and cured. It’s like a weird dream that I always feel isn’t quite true, but my short curly hair and scars remind me that it was true.

I’m grateful for all of my doctors, family and friends for helping me reach yet another milestone!

I’m speaking just to the ladies today so men you can stop reading now…

a) for those who have had lumpectomy and mastectomy surgery you will really love this bra!! The fabric, the wide band and the very important removable pad/cutlet pockets make this a great bra and very comfortable fit, and for a bonus it can be switched into a racer-back style!!

b) and for those who are just looking for a great everyday no-underwire bra, I highly recommend picking up at least one to give it a try!

There is abundant need in the world, and sometimes it’s difficult to decide who to help, but this is a cause that will really make an impact for this family and I’m asking everyone to find some money in their budget and donate!

Laura Vickers is a woman close to my age who is putting on a big fight and she needs financial help! Mike and I will driving up to Folsom this weekend to attend her fun Wonder Bread fund-raising bash and I know many of you won’t be able to make the event, but you CAN sit in your pj’s and click on the donate button on her site. Please click here, to read up on her story and to donate.

Next time you’re doing some banking business, ask your bank representative if you can upgrade your generic debit/credit card to a more custom card (should be no charge). Recently I flipped through the book of card options and settled on the Susan G. Komen pink ribbon card. Every time I hand over my card it gives opportunity for discussion and my bank (B of A) guarantees a certain amount to be donated to Komen annually. Check into it!

In case you’re wondering how it became this particular date, January 6 was the date of my final surgery which got all of the cancer, so that date is now my second “birthday”. And today’s milestone was made extra special with the news from my Oncology doctor confirming that last weeks (routine) MRI came back looking great, on both sides!